A Spanish court has ordered Colombian superstar Shakira to stand trial on charges of tax fraud of more than €14 million ($13.4m), with prosecutors seeking an eight-year sentence, filings showed on Tuesday.
Prosecutors in Barcelona said in July they would seek to have the singer, 45, jailed for more than eight years along with a fine of nearly €24m, after she rejected a plea deal over accusations of tax evasion.
They accuse Hips Don't Lie singer of defrauding the Spanish tax office of €14.5m on income earned between 2012 and 2014.
Prosecutors say Shakira moved to Spain in 2011 when her relationship with FC Barcelona defender Gerard Pique became public, but maintained official tax residency in the Bahamas until 2015.
The couple, who have two children, announced their separation in June.
On September 19, a Barcelona court ordered Shakira to stand trial for six alleged tax crimes, according to a ruling made public on Tuesday.
Shakira's lawyers said "the order to proceed with the oral hearing" was expected and that her legal team would "do its job by presenting its arguments at the appropriate time".
She has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and claims she owes nothing to the Spanish tax office.
"I'm confident that I have enough proof to support my case and that justice will prevail in my favour," Shakira told Elle magazine last week.
"While Gerard and I were dating, I was on a world tour," she said. "I spent more than 240 days outside Spain, so there was no way I qualified as a resident.
"The Spanish tax authorities saw that I was dating a Spanish citizen and started to salivate. It's clear they wanted to go after that money no matter what."
The case centres on where Shakira lived during 2012 to 2014.
Shakira's lawyers have said that until 2014 she earned most of her money from international tours, moved to Spain full-time only in 2015 and has met all of her tax obligations.
The singer says she has paid €17.2m to Spanish tax authorities and has no outstanding debts.
She says Spanish prosecutors are trying to claim money she earned during her international tour and from her appearances as a judge on The Voice.
Shakira joined the judges' panel on the reality-TV talent show in the US when she was not yet resident in Spain, she said.
A Barcelona court in May dismissed an appeal from the singer, who has sold more than 60 million albums, to drop the charges.
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Shakira, in a scarlet jumpsuit, at the 1st Annual Latin Grammy Awards on September 13, 2000 in Los Angeles, US. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a textured golden gown, arrives at Sony Music's private Grammy after-party on February 21, 2001 in West Hollywood, US. Getty Images -
Shakira, in classic jeans and a red tee, promotes her new album 'Servicio de Lavanderia' on October 11, 2001 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a studded olive jacket, attends the World Music Awards on March 6, 2002 in Monaco. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a pinstriped suit, at the TV Week Logie Awards, held in Melbourne on April 28, 2002. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a distressed denim jacket and beret, is named an ambassador for Unicef on October 24, 2003 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a slogan vest and boot-cut trousers, launches her new album 'Fijacion Oral' on May 19, 2005 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Shakira, in an emerald velvet jacket, with Mayor Alberto Ruiz Gallardon at Madrid City Hall on May 24, 2005 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Shakira, in silk pants and layered vests, attends an after-concert party on June 5, 2005 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Shakira, in an embroidered halter dress, arrives at the 12th annual MTV Europe Music Awards on November 3, 2005 in Lisbon, Portugal. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a patterned halter dress, arrives at the Echo Music Awards on March 12, 2006 in Berlin, Germany. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a casual tee and trousers, attends a photocall to launch her new world tour on March 23, 2006 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Shakira, in Hollywood red, attends the Ein Herz fuer Kinder charity telethon gala on December 15, 2007 in Berlin, Germany. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a caped tunic and leggings, presents her new album 'La Loba' on September 28, 2009 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a shimmering Gucci mini dress, arrives for the MTV Europe Music Awards on November 5, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. Getty Images -
Shakira, in patterned Versace, arrives at the Bambi Awards on November 26, 2009 in Germany. Getty Images -
Shakira, in gunmetal sequins, attends the Capital FM Jingle Bell Ball on December 6, 2009 in London. Getty Images -
Shakira, in sleek suiting, launches her new fragrance S By Shakira on June 22, 2010 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a sequin Sergio Rossi dress, attends the MTV Europe Awards on November 7, 2010 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a one-shouldered gold gown, arrives for the Bambi Awards on November 11, 2010 in Germany. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a sequinned LBD, attends the NRJ Music Awards on January 22, 2011 in Cannes, France. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a layered blue and yellow gown, arrives for the Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year Tribute in Las Vegas, US, on November 9, 2011. EPA -
Shakira, in a metallic strapless mini, attends the 40 Principales Awards on December 9, 2011 in Madrid, Spain. Getty Images -
Gerard Pique and Shakira, in a fishtail gown by Dubai's Furne One, at the Fifa Ballon d'Or Gala on January 9, 2012 in Zurich, Switzerland. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a zip-up printed mini, arrives at Hotel Majestic on January 28, 2012 in Cannes, France. Getty Images -
Shakira, in an embellished mini by Furne One, arrives at the NRJ Music Awards on January 28, 2012 in Cannes, France. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a spiderweb-like Zuhair Murad gown, arrives for the Echo Music Awards ceremony in Berlin, Germany on March 27, 2014. EPA -
Shakira, in teal Zuhair Murad, arrives for the 49th annual Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas, US, on April 6, 2014. EPA -
Shakira, in Alice + Olivia, attends the 'Zootropolis' premiere on February 3, 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. Getty Images -
Shakira, in a two-tone body-con number, presents her new fragrance Dance in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on December 6, 2016. EPA -
Shakira, in gold-accented separates, arrives to launch her latest album 'El Dorado' in Barcelona, Spain, on June 8, 2017. EPA -
Shakira, in a tiger-print vest, performs at the Cedars International Festival 2018 in Lebanon on July 13, 2018. EPA -
Shakira, in a simple jacket and white leather wallet, in Madrid, Spain, on March 27, 2019. Getty Images -
Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, in custom Peter Dundas, perform during half-time of the National Football League's Super Bowl LIV in Florida on February 2, 2020. EPA
Two months later, she dismissed a plea deal, saying she wanted her day in court to prove her innocence.
Shakira told Elle that the combination of her tax fraud trial, separation from Pique and custody battle for their children, as well as her father's illness, meant this was "probably one of the most difficult, darkest hours of my life".
The Latina superstar was named in one of the largest-ever leaks of financial documents in October 2021, known as the Pandora Papers, as a public figure linked to offshore assets.
With her mix of Latin and Arabic rhythms and rock influence, the three-time Grammy winner has scored major global hits with songs such as Whenever, Wherever and Waka Waka, the official song of the 2010 World Cup.
Spain has in recent years cracked down on football stars such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for not paying their full due in taxes.
Both players were found guilty of evasion and received prison sentences that were waived for first-time offenders.
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Shakira opened the Cedars International Festival In Bcharre on Friday. Photo / Reuters -
Colombian singer Shakira performs in the opening of the Cedars International Festival In Bcharre, Lebanon on Friday night. Photo / Reuters -
Shakira was greeted in Beirut with gifts and roses. Photo / AFP -
The Colombian singer-songwriter delighted a crowd of thousands gathered under the stars near the "Forest of the Cedars of God" in northern Lebanon. Photo / Reuters -
She planted two cedar saplings at a nature reserve: the Forest of the Cedars of God and nearby Qadish valley are on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Photo / AP -
To mark the occasion, a small patch of the reserve was named "Shakira Mubarak" - after one of the singer's family names, Tannourine's mayor Bahaa Harb said. Photo / Reuters -
Shakira was born in Columbia to a Lebanese father and Columbian mother. Photo / Reuters -
Shakira and her children arrive at the airport in Beirut. Photo / Reuters
